Nov. 30, 2007

Re-Wiring the Sense of Touch

Doctors have rewired the nerves of two people with amputated arms, re-routing the major nerves that carry sensation from the hand to the pectoral muscles in the chest. After the procedure, the patients can experience an object touching a portion of their chest in two ways at the same time -- the expected feeling of being touched on the chest, as well as the sensation of being touched on a missing hand.

In this segment, Ira talks with one of the doctors involved in the project about how the re-wiring works, and whether it could lead to more effective prosthetic devices.